Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In typical cellular wireless communications, each end-user device (e.g., cell phone, personal digital assistant, wirelessly equipped personal computer, etc.) subscribes to service from a given cellular wireless carrier known as the device's home carrier. In practice, the home carrier will operate a radio access network including base stations that radiate to define wireless coverage areas in which the end-user devices can operate throughout a region and that provide connectivity with core network infrastructure. This regional radio access network may be considered a “macro network,” and the base stations may be considered “macro network base stations.” When a device enters into coverage of its home carrier's macro network, the device may then register with the macro network and may then engage in wireless communication service via the macro network, and the home carrier may accordingly charge or debit a service account of the device for that communication service.
Although a typical cellular carrier may strive to offer wireless coverage throughout a region, such as nationally in the United States for instance, the carrier may not actually operate radio access networks in all locations throughout the region. Further, even in areas where the carrier operates a macro network, the coverage of that network may not extend to all locations, due to base station design or implementation, air interface obstructions, and other factors.
One way for a carrier to help fill in the gaps in its coverage is for the carrier to enter into roaming agreements with other carriers. Under a roaming agreement, another carrier may agree to provide service to the home carrier's subscriber devices when the devices are served by base stations of the roaming carrier's network. Thus, when a device that subscribes to the home carrier cannot find coverage of the home carrier's network and enters into coverage of a roaming carrier's network, the device may register for service with the roaming carrier's network and may then engage in wireless communication service via the roaming carrier's network. In accordance with a roaming agreement, the roaming carrier may then report that usage to the home carrier and may charge the home carrier for the usage. In turn, the home carrier may then pass an associated charge along to the service account of the device.
Another way for a carrier to help fill in the gaps in its coverage is for the carrier to provide its subscribers with personal base stations, commonly known as “femtocells”. A femtocell is typically a small device, about the size of a WIFI access point, that is arranged to communicate through a broadband Internet connection with a carrier's core network infrastructure, and to operate on a small scale in much the same way that a conventional base station does. In practice, a subscriber may obtain a femtocell from its carrier, connect the femtocell to a home or office Internet router, and enjoy improved or enhanced service within the coverage of the femtocell. When a device that subscribes to a home carrier is within coverage of such a femtocell, the device may register with the femtocell and may then engage in wireless communication service via the femtocell, and the home carrier may accordingly charge or debit a service account of the device for that communication service.